1 46 FROM THE DEATH OF NOO NEHAL SINGH
2 and the revenge of the soldiery being thus sated,
3 they escorted the Ranee and the young sovereign
4 back to the fort.
5 After the murder of Jowahir Singh, Meean
6 Pirthee Singh was entrusted with the seals of
7 office, but he only held them for two days, the
8 Ranee taking upon herself the ministerial duties
9 in connection with Rajah Lall Singh, generally
10 understood to be her paramour.
11 There was now a lull in revolution, massa-
12 cre and assassination. Meanwhile, the British
13 government, reasonably apprehensive that the
14 anarchical state of the Punjaub would sooner or
15 later render its interference unavoidable, moved
16 up strong bodies of troops to the military sta-
17 tions contiguous to the frontier, while Sir Henry
18 Hardinge, the Governor-General, proceeded in
19 person to Umballah, and instructed his agents
20 to call upon the Sikh authorities to explain the
21 ground of their movement upon the Sutlege.
22 For some time, the Ranee, without entering into
23 the required explanations, was enabled to control
24 the troops, notwithstanding that they were ur-
25 gent for the appointment of Goolab Singh to the
26 Wuzeeree (ministry), an office he steadily refused
27 to take. But at length her Highness lost all
28 influence—the army had become importunate to
29 be led against the British, whose precautionary
30 measures had inflamed their hostility, and she